If you're looking for a rugged, waterproof smartphone that is budget-friendly, Kyocera has just launched its latest Hydro Plus handset on Cricket Wireless.

While there are a number of rugged, durable smartphones currently available on the market, Kyocera's new Hydro Plus handset aims to offer waterproof capabilities at a more affordable price point.

Kyocera may not be very well-known as a smartphone maker in the U.S., but the company has been releasing several smartphones in the country, catering to a niche market. Its Kyocera Hydro series, for instance, consists of devices with at least good if not high dustproof and waterproof ratings. The new Kyocera Hydro Plus is also aimed at consumers with an active lifestyle, who need a rugged smartphone. The device comes with IPx5 and IPx7 certification and can withstand being submerged in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

"Our active customers will love that they can have all their favorite features on the affordable, waterproof Hydro Plus without having to change how they live their lives," Matt Stoiber, Cricket's senior vice president of devices, touted in the press release.

"The Hydro Plus is the fifth member of Kyocera's Hydro Series, which has quickly become the gold standard in affordable waterproof smartphones," added Eric Anderson, senior vice president and general manager of global sales and marketing at Kyocera Communications Inc. "Combine great real-world features like Kyocera's waterproofing with Cricket's Muve Music and fantastic service plans, and Hydro Plus becomes a tremendous way for Cricket customers to stay connected and entertain in any environment without breaking the bank."

Aside from its ruggedness, the new Kyocera Hydro Plus is a low-end smartphone with utterly unimpressive specifications. The handset packs a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 processor and just 512MB of RAM. It has only 2GB of internal storage capacity, albeit it comes with a 4GB SD card in an attempt to make up for it. The 3.5-inch display has a low-resolution of 320 x 480 pixels, and Kyocera's software of choice for this model is the older Android 4.0.4 OS.

The new Kyocera Hydro Plus is now available from Cricket Wireless with two pricing options. The smartphone will cost $139 off-contract, but interested buyers can also get the Hydro Plus with Cricket's three monthly smartphone service plan options starting at $50 per month. In a bid to make the smartphone more attractive, Cricket is also offering its Muve Music 4.0 service, which allows users to choose from millions of songs and play them online or store them locally on their device.